Picks: 11, 29, 45, 46, 73
Departures:
Scott Burns, Chris Egan, Brodie Holland, Sam Iles, Ryan Lonie, Rhyce Shaw, Tobias Thoolen, Shane Wakelin, Luke Casey-Leigh (rookie).
Where's the club at?
After two years well out of contention the Pies have contested the past three finals series for finishes of seventh, fourth and sixth. Mick Malthouse has continued to blood the youngsters during that period, which should stand his side in good stead in 2009. Defensive concerns aside, Magpie fans will be confident of a fourth successive season of September action, but it remains to be seen whether their list is strong enough to challenge for a top-two position.
Needs:
An onballer and a key defender top the club's shopping list, with the need for a tall defensive prospect to groom for the future probably slightly outweighing the Pies' midfield requirements. The retirements of Scott Burns and Shane Wakelin leave holes in both positions, but the club has more kids – such as Sharrod Wellingham, John McCarthy and Danny Stanley – it hopes will be ready to take on more responsibility through the middle than it does down back.
Nathan Brown looks set to hold down one of the key defensive posts for the foreseeable future, but Simon Prestigiacomo, with age and recent injury history against him, can't be relied upon to fill the other on a regular basis in 2009, and there are few heirs apparent in the wings.
Recent drafts:
The Pies' first pick in 2007 wasn't until 31st overall and it was used on midfielder John McCarthy. The second pick (47) was used to try and bolster the big man stocks, but Toby Thoolen has already departed the club. Collingwood went heavy on height the year before with Ben Reid (8), Nathan Brown (10), Chris Dawes (28) and Tyson Goldsack (63) all taller than 193cm.
Chance of taking recycled players:
With the spectre of GC 17 looming on the horizon, clubs appear hell-bent on stocking up with youngsters, making it a particularly bad time to be a recently delisted AFL player. The Pies took a long, hard look at Ben Cousins before declaring they weren't interested in the Brownlow medallist, but even so there might still be some water left to flow under that particular bridge. Irishman Colm Begley will do a pre-season with the club after the Brisbane Lions delisted him last month.
What recruiting manager Derek Hine says:
"From our perspective, especially with our first draft pick, we'll be selecting the best player available and post that, it will be very much a needs-oriented draft. I think there's opportunities for all clubs to confidently select a player of need and be safe in the knowledge that they won't be overlooking a Chris Judd or whoever it might be. I think that it's going to be a very needs-oriented draft; after this year's draft we'll have 27 players under the age of 21, so we'll just continue to develop the boys and try and get the right balance."
We say:
Jackson Trengove is in the mix at the Pies' No.11 pick if they do decide to go down the key defender path. If they opt to bolster the midfield Sam Blease, Ashley Smith or Luke Shuey might suit, but all bets are off if Steele Sidebottom or Chris Yarran slips to them. With the second pick at 29, depending on how the first round goes, midfielder Dan Hannebery could be in the mix. They may even look to a project ruckman late after the departure of Thoolen, with Tom Hill or Bart McCulloch possibilities.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
